Margaritifera margaritifera isolate:BIV4481 Genome sequencing

The freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera is a widely distributed bivalve in cool oligotrophic waters throughout most of northwest Europe and northeast North America. The species reveals some unique interesting biological features, such as unusually high longevity, up to 280 years, and a Doubly Uniparental Inherence of mtDNA. For centuries, the species was exploited throughout Europe for its valuable pearls which represented an important economic resource for many countries. During the 20th century with a shifted of pearl exploitation towards marine bivalves, the relevancy of M. margaritifera as a pearl resource has been decreasing. The simultaneous global industrialization process introduced strong threats to the survival of the species which is now one of the most protected species in Europe with a vast number of studies and investment applied in rehabilitation and conservation projects. Here we present the first whole genome sequencing of the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, which represents a valuable resource for studying this species unique biological and evolutionary features and ultimately will help to develop new tools to promote its conservation.